tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5160681667863142582..comments2017-12-13T20:47:32.016-05:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: (1883 MAUPASSANT NOVEL) FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2008 - Mike Nothnagel and David QuarfootRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55473799563799711042008-04-09T16:22:00.000-04:002008-04-09T16:22:00.000-04:00The right half felt like a Friday but the SW reall...The right half felt like a Friday but the SW really took some time. The NW was my undoing. Had UNI, guessed ESSEN then nothing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41690209311804399722008-04-05T14:31:00.000-04:002008-04-05T14:31:00.000-04:00Since I discovered Rex's blog, I am less apt to co...Since I discovered Rex's blog, I am less apt to consult google. If I need help, the atlas and the dictionary are my first choices. <BR/>Sometimes when I can't seem to drive a wedge in anywhere, Hanne helps by seeing the obvious stuff that won't click in my RETES. <BR/>I only google as a last resort, and try to come at it obliquely, if I can. Mostly names of people I am not familiar with. If the answer is something I already know, I am so disappointed in myself. <BR/>Like Jeff, coming here is my reward to myself for completing the puzzle. <BR/><BR/>This was a bear. Best clue was the one for LOWER LIP. with SODACAN a close second. I had JONAS, which made the NOAH/BOAT combo the last to fall before the N/W which I needed to resort to Google to finally solve.<BR/>There oughta be a law against DQ and MN conspiring together.<BR/>'Scusa me, but you see, back in old Napoli, that's NOT amore.WWPierrenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47095846731795870392008-04-05T12:47:00.000-04:002008-04-05T12:47:00.000-04:00cody.riggs here. Usually Saturday puzzles are the ...cody.riggs here. Usually Saturday puzzles are the only ones I can't finish during my commute...this one was hard. But loved it, except the awful RACOON answer and "Centuries" clue. I was convinced at first that "Kinkajou" was a colonial African revolutionary, or perhaps a Kipling character and scanned the entire map of the continent in my brain, before considering animals. <BR/><BR/>Oh yes, and the most awful answer: BOAT. BOAT??? I also wanted ARKH, really! If the clue gives no information at all, at least the answer should 'click' satisfyingly. This was just deceptive and bad.<BR/><BR/>I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't remember ALETA and RETE for the life of me. Both are total gimmes, and I just couldn't jog the right neurons. <BR/><BR/>Yesterday, Rex and I were thinking alike (except for ESSEN. I speak fluent German, and that was my first answer.) Unfortunately, this gimme made 1a very difficult, since the closing E led to "IMPRECISE"...loved the eventual SAD BUT TRUE though. I also wanted END UP for PROVE, NAPA for LODI, WRONG for DOING, and almost wrote "THE TIE" for UNE VIE!<BR/>Was fairly sure of "END UP" since that crossed "ETTE" (wrong answer for 'shortening in the kitchen.)<BR/><BR/>Oddly, I was sure of "HALVE" for 'change from two to one', though I couldn't reconcile it with OVEN MITTS/AVON which had to be right (well, no, I doubted it since I also wanted NAPA...that would give me APRON-something...)HALVE for UNITE was the only wrong answer I actually wrote in.<BR/><BR/>Thank goodness SLIP N SLIDE was a gimme, or else I'd have put NAPLES instead of NAPOLI. Had trouble with the whole LESLEY/ALVIN/YAS area, since I've never heard of Mr. Ailey. 'Riley' is a more common name, and if 'Leslee' had been the (perfectly legitimate) alt. spelling, it would have yielded 'ERS', a legitimate syllable, if not actually in a Dorsey hit. Also, the name HALAS was a problem- 'HALES' looks better, and so does the resultant 'ELVINA ILEY' it would have crossed. I eventually just guessed, and got it right by chance. <BR/><BR/>Wanted so bad to stretch "JINX" to "JYNXE" or something, though I know the Jonah reference.<BR/><BR/>Got "DENVER" only by knowing that the interstate numbers proceed from the South and West in multiples of 10...though I also travelled this intersection 11 yrs. ago.<BR/><BR/>Finally, loved the KNOX answer, though I wanted "EARL" so badly (My partner's name is the same as Pres. Carter's, whom we both admire so much.)<BR/><BR/>And MEOW. WOW. The last thing I filled in. Love it when the hardest answer is so good and satisfying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47595578480868166632008-04-05T00:55:00.000-04:002008-04-05T00:55:00.000-04:00It appears as though our puzzles are really behind...It appears as though our puzzles are really behind here in Marysville, CA. This puzzle appears in the April 4th 2008 edition of our daily newpaper.<BR/><BR/>I am over 65 and work the croswords (in my paper only) for relaxation and can sometimes take up to 2 or 3 days to complete one, but usually do finish it. One of the people said this puzzle took them only 6 minutes--it took me about 4 hours off and on between watching Battlestat Galactia, but it is done. Living in CA--it was NAPA first--did not work, so CCR's song was my second choice. Did not like the ALKA clue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67991941454575714972008-04-04T23:08:00.000-04:002008-04-04T23:08:00.000-04:00A fun puzzle. "Sad but true" and "Ate crow" took l...A fun puzzle. "Sad but true" and "Ate crow" took longer than they should have. "Tennis aces" was "Tennis pros" for a while and I agree with Rex that this was not a stellar clue. James VI of Scotland, eventually James I of England, I know as the successor to Elizabeth R in the Union of the Crowns. Alvin Ailey and Slip'n' Slide broached the SE neatly, which was where I got my foothold. But Lesley Gore - WTF! Didn't she invent the Internet?retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39359839808735296602008-04-04T10:41:00.000-04:002008-04-04T10:41:00.000-04:00I solve slowly and solve to finish, or as I tell m...I solve slowly and solve to finish, or as I tell my high school students, "I might not be fast, but I always finish" when they want to race doing puzzles in my study hall. <BR/><BR/>Only when the puzzle's complete do I turn to Rex and the comments . . .kind of like a little treat for finishing. So sometimes I'm reading the blog days (or weeks) later when I'm able to fill in those last few squares. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for all the commentaries; some make me smile, laugh, wince, groan, but I always enjoy reading them . . .ALMOST as much as doing the puzzles!<BR/><BR/>Have a good day all.jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16659858335748179668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91204239152194152792008-02-23T21:52:00.000-05:002008-02-23T21:52:00.000-05:00My Friday NYT wasn't delivered yesterday, presumab...My Friday NYT wasn't delivered yesterday, presumably on account of the snow. Wihdrawal set in. The paper came today along with the Sat. paper and the Sun. feature sections, so I was finally able to tackle it. Yes, it was tough, replete wih red herrings. I couldn't time myself because one of my daughers phoned, needing to talk.<BR/><BR/>This snowstorm evidently had far-reaching effects. The supermarket produce section was devoid of eggplants today; they hadn't been delivered. Now I'm in aubergine withdrawal. Had my heart set on making moussaka for dinner, but settled for pastitsio. <BR/><BR/>Now I'm going to tackle the Saturday puzzle.miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83784652712495419622008-02-23T13:29:00.000-05:002008-02-23T13:29:00.000-05:00Have to agree with the poster who appreciated pre-...Have to agree with the poster who appreciated pre-Shortz "gimmes" -- and I'm nowhere near >65 (just started young)!<BR/>Wonder how where you grew up affects what is/isn't easy. I heard"What's doing?" growing up in NYC. Don't know any German, but we've got Ess-a-Bagel (eat a bagel) so that made essen easy. And I live on a street that is aka "Alvin Ailey Place." <BR/>On the other hand, Lodi is a town in New Jersey in my mind...<BR/><BR/>Maybe if I knew how to spell raccoon, I would have realized that racoon is a variant!<BR/><BR/>Thanks, Rex.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34218448929174074152008-02-23T12:08:00.000-05:002008-02-23T12:08:00.000-05:00Got Slipnslide when I realized WaterWizard wouldn'...Got Slipnslide when I realized WaterWizard wouldn't fit. Anyone remember being chased around the yard by that uncontrollable huge piece of plastic? (To papraphrase Gene Wilder in "The Producers", "I've got a head injury AND I'm wet!!!!"). <BR/><BR/>When I saw the puzzle, I said "Oh, a Nothnagel-Quarfoot" and my husband asked me if that was "like a rebus?". <BR/><BR/>Great photo Rex!Kimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22191964905548628792008-02-23T08:32:00.000-05:002008-02-23T08:32:00.000-05:00Call me too practical, but ante Rex I would spend ...Call me too practical, but ante Rex I would spend endless google time looking for help, now I just consult the King for things I would have researched anyway. Frees up the day for more puzzles.Ladelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00822660581698301611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82794944455362838392008-02-23T02:17:00.000-05:002008-02-23T02:17:00.000-05:00This was a tough one. Didn't get the NW thanks to...This was a tough one. Didn't get the NW thanks to not knowing that green beans were in a nicoise salad. I kept trying to fit tuna in there. Plus I had LARD in for Kitchen shortening, which did me no good. Also had it in my head that a kinkajou was a primate so had both Baboons and gibbons in there before throwing up my hands in disgust. Tennis Aces was just cruel, although clever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33843917901830907322008-02-23T02:14:00.000-05:002008-02-23T02:14:00.000-05:00@Mike: thanks for answering and for your great puz...@Mike: thanks for answering and for your great puzzles.<BR/><BR/>@Rex: very nice picture of James VII. What a handsome devil. Did you notice the last word on the picture is Rex? And then of course the Rex of this world below James. Equally handsome and kingly.Rikkinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11353718127205863642008-02-23T01:26:00.000-05:002008-02-23T01:26:00.000-05:00Just a quick note saying congrats on the pics!Just a quick note saying congrats on the pics!Rolishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02462770246531658591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77378360568571590132008-02-23T00:38:00.000-05:002008-02-23T00:38:00.000-05:00@PhillySolver: Yes, and I once shot an elephant in...@PhillySolver: Yes, and I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas!Catherine Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03397942491057116387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22911724428210584452008-02-23T00:07:00.000-05:002008-02-23T00:07:00.000-05:00This one was a bear as already noted. I spent over...This one was a bear as already noted. I spent over an hour entering and then erasing all the wrong initial answers mentioned above. <BR/><BR/>RACOON and DO TO A TEE were well and truly ODORED and I don't mean that in a good way.Jim in NYCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41690227187049103132008-02-23T00:01:00.000-05:002008-02-23T00:01:00.000-05:00So, Catherine, Paris bit the kinkajou and it was a...So, Catherine, Paris bit the kinkajou and it was airlifted to the hospital and filed that complaint against her? That is funny!PhillySolverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896753042626337920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30630750166664495472008-02-22T23:54:00.000-05:002008-02-22T23:54:00.000-05:00I actually knew what a kinkajou was because of my ...I actually knew what a kinkajou was because of my shameful pastime of reading celebrity gossip.<BR/><BR/>About a year ago, Paris Hilton was seen around town toting her little pet kinkajou, whom she named <A HREF="http://defamer.com/images/thumbs/45eb75f3a7670614001a7cd10582ada7.jpg" REL="nofollow"> "Baby Luv".</A> Then it bit her on the arm, and she had to be taken to the hospital for medical attention, and was heard shouting, "That stupid f***ing monkey just bit me!".<BR/><BR/>Just typing this is making me laugh...Catherine Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03397942491057116387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64818736593760338052008-02-22T23:01:00.000-05:002008-02-22T23:01:00.000-05:00@foodie: neural net in this context isn't a medica...@foodie: neural net in this context isn't a medical term but a concept from Artificial Intelligence.JimHornehttp://profile.typekey.com/JimHorne/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57133389484874556662008-02-22T22:55:00.000-05:002008-02-22T22:55:00.000-05:00I thought the puzzle was a little pretentious. Mo...I thought the puzzle was a little pretentious. Moving to Europe for awhile would have helped me, with this one. "Odored" struck me wrong as did "racoons." A tough puzzle is a tough puzzle without seeming to have to contrive or stretch.Big Leftynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75379290092832420872008-02-22T22:23:00.000-05:002008-02-22T22:23:00.000-05:00Loved this puzzle, great sense of satisfaction upo...Loved this puzzle, great sense of satisfaction upon finishing it. It took a long time, on and off all day at work when I could sneak a couple peeks, and then finally finished it tonight. I had more "ah-ha" moments doing this puzzle than I can remember. NW was the last section to fall. SE was the first.Nebraka Dougnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24105729907157154252008-02-22T22:21:00.000-05:002008-02-22T22:21:00.000-05:00PS. In my fit of confusion over RETE I googled Ret...PS. In my fit of confusion over RETE I googled Rete and Rex Parker (after reading that you had already seen it) and what popped up was from almost exactly a year ago...the blog from Friday Feb. 23, 2007... Weird...foodienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27543675908276996072008-02-22T22:17:00.000-05:002008-02-22T22:17:00.000-05:00The "Rete" answer to "neural network" has really g...The "Rete" answer to "neural network" has really gotten under my skin. I realize that technically rete is a mesh or network, but "neural network" has a very specific meaning and not in a million years would the response be RETE to a neuroscientist. I am one and I have been in the business for what seems like a million years, and I have never heard it used. To make sure I was not confused, I went to the scientific literature (Pubmed). Out of hundreds of thousands articles that pop up on brain or neural, if you cross them with RETE you get 19, and even at that, they mostly have to do with the mesh of arteries in brain... <BR/><BR/>Sorry to get carried away, but if you think Noah's boat is bad...<BR/><BR/>On a more positive note: Congratulations Rex for being in the Chronicle of Higher Education... Big times!foodienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2541577933118878252008-02-22T21:28:00.000-05:002008-02-22T21:28:00.000-05:00This one really got me! After filling in LOWER LI...This one really got me! After filling in LOWER LIP and SLIPNSLIDE, I had to do it in pencil- in pencil! *the crowd gasps* I haven't had to do that in a long time. Finally, after many hours on and off, I filled in the last square, the S in MAAS (couldn't decide between "are to" and ARE SO).<BR/><BR/>Initially considered DITKA for [Papa bear].<BR/><BR/>I don't have anything much to add to what's been already said, just that it was a very hard, but fair puzzle. OK, one thing- I did think of DO TO A TEE right at first but disregarded it as too much of a grasp.doc Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26355198992550832732008-02-22T21:25:00.000-05:002008-02-22T21:25:00.000-05:00Rex featured in Cat Fancy, MEOW in the puzzle....s...Rex featured in Cat Fancy, MEOW in the puzzle....shout out? You be the judge.<BR/><BR/>Nice article, Rex--I should get Anne Meara's name for the $6.50 I spent to read it!<BR/><BR/>Kathykathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75927550934106216112008-02-22T21:10:00.000-05:002008-02-22T21:10:00.000-05:00I liked this puzzle -- tough, but fair with some n...I liked this puzzle -- tough, but fair with some nice clues (e.g. awfully accurate -- sad but true, the slipnslide answer)<BR/> <BR/>I enjoyed the profile of rex in cat fancy, which I read online this morning.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.com